One of the most freeing things I've learned in leadership is that I don't have to be good at everything. I just have to know what I'm good at AND recognize the people around me who are gifted in the areas where I'm not. Sonia and I have learned this in our marriage, in our ministry, and I've applied the same principle to just about every leadership role I've held. People will sometimes look at everything we're accomplishing and assume I'm good at all of it. NOPE! 😂 I'm just really intentional about doing the things I'm good at and surrounding myself with people who are better than me at everything else! And here's the part some leaders struggle with... When I find those people, I'm happy to give them the responsibility, let them run with it, and even let them tell ME what to do in their area of expertise! I don't need, or even want to be the smartest person in every room. I desire to be surrounded by people who make the entire room better...me included. Please know that is not a weakness in leadership. That's how you build something greater than what you could ever accomplish on your own. So, here's my question for you: Are you comfortable letting someone else lead in an area where they're stronger than you, even when you're technically the person in charge?

One of the most freeing things you can learn is that you don't have to fit into everybody else's expectations of who you should be. As Pastor Sonia reminds us in this clip from Plain English LIVE, our identity and confidence have to be rooted in who God says we are, not what other people think about us. And when their opinions don't line up with what God says? “Thank you, but no thank you!” 🙌🏾 How have you learned to navigate the opinions and expectations of others while staying true to who God has called you to be?

One of the things I love about Nehemiah is what he DIDN'T do when he first heard about the condition of Jerusalem. He didn't immediately start building. He didn't call a meeting. He didn't start recruiting people. He didn't create a strategy. He prayed. And I'll be honest, this is something I've had to learn as a leader because when I see something that needs to be fixed, my natural response is usually: “Alright...what are we gonna DO about it?” 😂 But Nehemiah reminds us that just because God allows you to see a problem doesn't mean your first responsibility is to solve the problem. Sometimes your first responsibility is to sit with the burden long enough to hear from God. That's important because leaders can become so good at solving problems that we start moving before we've prayed about whether God actually wants us to move. And there's a difference between having a good idea and having God's direction. Nehemiah eventually developed a plan. He talked to the king. He assessed the walls. He organized the people. He dealt with opposition. He BUILT. So prayer didn't replace action. Prayer prepared him for action. I wonder how many mistakes we could avoid as leaders if we stopped treating prayer like something we do AFTER we've already decided what we're going to do. 😂 So here's my question for everyone today: Are you naturally someone who PRAYS first and then moves...or someone who MOVES first and remembers to pray somewhere along the way? 😂 And what has God taught you about that? 👇🏾 Let's talk about it. And remember, Nehemiah: The Prayerful Leader is now available as part of the complete Planted With Purpose video curriculum in your Classroom!